Signaling device for doors.



A. H. LONG.

SIGNALING DEVICE FOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

924,803. Patented June 15, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ll ll II II II A. H. LONG.

SIGNALING DEVICE FOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J I If DL [1/ I -E I 1 U fi j .7 J. r? 3 J z J7 Patented June 15, 1909.

ANDREW II. LONG, OF ROLANIl, NEW YORK.

SIGNALING DEVICE FOR DOORS.

"To all who'm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW H. LONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roland, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and .usefulImprovements in Signaling Devices for Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signaling-devices for doors, particularly car-doors.

The primary object of my invention is the production of a signaling-device adapted .to be actuated upon opening a car or other door; the device being used in conjunction with the lock of the door and being so constructed that when used on a freightvar door, the signal will be given upon the opening of the doorwhether thefcar is coupled with other cars, or entirelydisconnected.

Other objects are, to provide simple and effective means whereby a certain volume of compressed-air is stored .to be used for giving a signal when the car-door is opened,

and to otherwise improve on devices of this character.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of devices and parts to be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims. y

In the drawings,Figure 1 is an elevation of a freight-car having a portion of one side wall broken away to show the inner side of the opposite wall and to better illustrate the manner of applying my invention to the car. Fig. 21s an end elevation of the car with a portion of'the end wall brpken away to show the signaling-device from another point of view. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 4-4, Fig. Fig. 5 is a'detached I :perspective view of the lock-bar adapted to lock the doorwhen in closed position. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of a freightcar showing my invention in modified form.

Fig. 7 is an.enlarged horizontal section taken on line 77, Fig. 6, the door of'the car being closed and the air controlling piston being forced inward in its cylinder td close the air-passage leading to the signal. I

Fig. 8 is a similar section with the air controlling-piston moved outward to open the ,nir-passage leading to the signal.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 29, 1907.

Patented June 15, 1909.

SerialNo. 404.324.

to like parts the car adjacent the door-opening, and it is inaccessible from the exterior of the car when the door is closed. It preferably consists of a casing D secured to the car wall and having a vertical lock-bar d journaled in its end walls so as to-be capable of being rocked, and said bar has a plurality of angular lock-arms d which are adapted to enter the depressions b in the plate B E designates an air-pipe connected to the main air-line of the car, and F is an airchamber to which the pipe E is secured. In the pipe E is a check-valve 6 adapted to allow the admission of air into the chamber Fwhich may well be termed a storagecha mber and to prevent the return of the air from the storage-chamber to the main air-line common in air-brake systems on railway cars. The main air-line to which pipe E is connected is subjected to a pressure of about seventy pounds to the square inch and it is the purpose of this invention to maintain such pressure in the storage-chamber F. For this purpose the check-valve e is provided so that when a reduction ismade in the main air-line for setting brakes or when the cars of a train are uncoupled, the

spebially-designed key so that .it cannot be actuated by unauthorized parties. Pipe g is also provided witha reduction-valve H to allow the escape of air under certain pressure from the chamber F; said air entering the auxiliary air-chamber G. When the air within chamber G reaches a pressure of about ten pounds to the. square inch, the reduction-valve closes so that no portion of the air within the storage-chamber F will escape when thedoor of the car is opened and the signal given.

\Vithin the car, T arrange a cylinder I which has connection with the auxiliary airchamber by means of a pipe 2', and within said cylinder is a lock controlling-piston J having a piston-rod 7' extending through the A bell-crank" upper end of said cylinder. lever K is secured to the side-wall of the car and has one arm thereof attached to the outer end of said piston-rod and its other arm connected to one end of a rod'L whose opposite end is adjustably secured in an arm I secured to the lock-bar d of the lock-device;

Surrounding the piston-rod j is a retractile spring M having one end attached to the bell-crank leveriK, as at. m, and its other end secured to the cylinder I, as at m}. I

-N designates an air-whistle secured to a pipe n having connection 'with pipe 2'. Pipe n extends out through the top of the car so that when the air is forced through the whistlethus ex osed, the si'gnal'given can be heard at a istance and notice is given thereby that the door of the car is being opened. The escape of air through the pipe '12- iscontrolled by a valve 0 actuated fronr the outside of the car; ,In the particular embodiment herein shown said valve is pro-' the car is closed, said door can only be anlocked by permitting the air to escape from the cylinder I, and as the only means of eshas escaped through the pipe 11-,

rape is through the pi e 11 having the airwhistle at its outer end: the opening of the valve 0 controls the unlocking of the .door as and in the manner now to be particularly described. 1 When the'manually-operated valve H is closed, the air within the storage-chamber F cannot escape through the pipe g, and when the air within the auxiliar air-chamber G the piston J within the cylinder I is free to descend, it being aided in this respect by the spring M acting to draw the bell-crank'lever Kdownward, and with itthe piston-rod and piston J connected with said bell-crank lever. This downward movement of the bell-crank lever results in a rocking of. the lock-bar d, which causes the lock-arms d to be swung out of engagement with the lock-plate B on the car-door, thus allowing the door to be opened. When-the parts areiin the position just described; the door may be .opened and closed at will, but in order to lock the door after it is moved into closed osition the valve 'H, by meanstof a specia ly-designed key, must be opened so as to allow the air from the storage-chamber F to enter the auxiliary air-chamber, the pipe'i connected thereto, and-the cylinder I. When the air within said auxiliary air-chamber, thecylinder I, and the pipe 1' connecting both, reaches 'a-pressure of about ten pounds to the square His then closed by an authorized person so that the air within the auxilia air-chamber G is disconnected from tlie storagechamber F. When the air enters the cylinder I it acts to elevate the piston therein against the action of the spring M, thus acting'through the medium of the bell-crank .lever K and rod L to swing the lock-arms of the lock-bar into engagement with the lockplate B on the door. It is, of course, understood that the valve 0 in the pipe n must be closed when the air is admitted into the auxiliary air-chamber-G.

In order to unlock the car it is merely necessary to open thevalve O which allows the air to escape from the cylinder I and auxiliary air-chamber G through the pipes 2' and 'n, and from the latter it escapes to act upon the air-whistle N. When the air has escaped from the cylinder I, the spring M acts to lower the piston within said cylinder and causes the vunlocking of the door in the manner previously described.

Any unauthorized person opening the door and entering the car for the purpose of surreptitiously taking property from the car;

would naturally be apprehended, as it would be impossible for him to leave the car before a train-hand or other employee could reach the car, After each signal or opening of the car-door, the valve 0 should be'closed and the valve H opened to allow the admis sion of air underpressure to the auxiliary air-chamber G. When the air within the auxiliary air-chamber G reaches the pres sure at which the reduction valve H is adjusted, the manually-operated valve should be closed. In this manner a certain volume of aironly can escape each time the car door is opened, and when the car is connected with other cars in train and the airbrake system charged, the air within the storage-chamber is always maintained at the regular pressure of the main air-line. When. however, ,the car is uncoupled, the storage capacity of chamber F is sufiicient to allow the car-door to be opened and locked a number of times so that the contents of the car can be unloaded at intervals and the door locked between times of unloading, thus assuring absolute security forthe merchandise or other contents remaining in. the car.

IVith this invention installed upon freight cars havin itscontents locked therein, the robbing oi the cars will be reduced to a minimum, if not entirely cease.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the signaling is also controlled by the opening of the door, but the apparatus coninch, the reduction-valve H? closes; the valve trolling the signal is independent of the locking of the door. In thiscase the air pipe 11 passes through the car and connects dlrectly with the auxiliaryaii'chamber G;-

it having the air-whistle N as hereinbefore described. The escape" of the air from the auxiliary air-chamber through the pipe n iscontrolled by a spring-governed plunger or piston P' the chamber. .Said chamber has preferably a removable head '9 through which the plunger or piston-rod extends which is adapted to beengaged by a pressure-arm S secured to the car-door in such position that when said door is closed, it acts against the plunger orpiston-rod ,1) to compel the plunger or piston to be movedinward against the .action of thes pring R, in which position the air-passage p is moved out of registration with the air-pipe n. When the cardooris closed" it may be locked in any approved manner. Upon opening the cardoor, the pressure-arm S is moved away from the plunger or piston-rod g, and the plunger or piston P is moved outward by action of the spring R, causing the air-passage p in said plunger or piston to be moved into registration with the air-pipe a, thereby allowing the escape'of air through said pipe from the auxiliary air-chamber G and causin g the actuation of the whistle N.

Although I have illustrated my improved ,ignaling-device in connection with a railway-car, I do not wish to be limited in. its use to-such purpose, 'as it will serve admirably in connection with any other structure, such for example,as a burglar-alarm for buildings, or signaling-device for jails and other similar institutions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is,--

1. The combination with a structure having a dooropeninganda door adapted to close said opening, of an air-chamber, an air-pipe leadingffrom said chamber and being provided with an air-signal, means for controlling the discharge of air to said sig-' nal, a combined air and spring-governed piston in connection with said air-chamber, a lock adapted to lockthe door when 111 closed position,'and operative connection between said -l0ck and lsaid piston ,adapted to openQ said lockwhen the air isdischarged through said air-signal.

2. The combination with a structure hav-' ing a door-opening and a door adapted to c ose said opening, of an air storage-chama spring R is located Whichacts to; retain said plunger at the opposite end of her. an auxiliary air-chamber connected with said storage-chamber. an air-pipe leading from said auxillary-chamber and having an air-signal, means to govern the passage of air from said auxiliary-chamber to said airsignal, a lock whereby said door is locked when -closed, and means toopen said lock when the air is discharged through said airsignal. b

3. The combination with a structure having a door-opening and a door adapted to close said opening, of a lock'adapted to lock said door when closed, an air storage-chainher, an auxiliary air-chamber, a pipe connecting said chambers and having a reduc tion-valve, and a pipe leading irom the mixihary air-chamber and having an-air-signal,

a valve in said last inen'tioned .pipe, and

means to cause the door to be unlocked when the air is discharged through said air-signal.

4. The combination with a structure having a door-opening, of an air storage-chamher, an auxiliary air-chamber,-a pipe conuecting said chambers,,a reduction-valve and a hand-valve in said pipe, a pipe leading from said auxiliary air-chamber and having an air-signal, a hand-valve in said last-mentioned pipe, a cylinder in connection with said auxiliary air-chamber, a piston reciprocal in said cylinder and held at one end of its stroke by the air-pressure, a spring adapted to force the piston to the other end of its stroke when the air is released from the cylinder, av lock adapted to lock said door, and mechanism between the piston and said lock whereby the latter is actuated to unlock the door when said piston is relieved of the air-pressure.-

5. The combination with a structure having a door-opening and a door adapted to close said opening and provided with a lockplate. of a lock arranged adjacent said door and adapted for engagement with said lockattached to said bell-crank lever and its other end attached to said cylinder, connection between the other end of saidbellcrank lever and said lock, and an air-pipe connected to said last-mentioned pipe and having'a valve and an air-signal.

. 6'. The combination with a car having a door-opening and a door adapted to close said opening, of a lock secured to the inner side of the wall of the car and adapted to lock said door, an air storage-chamber an 5 said pipe to shut 'ofi the air passing from i piston in said cylinder having operative con-' nection with said lock, an exposed air-signal connected to said a1rp1pe, and means accessl ble from the exterior of the car to allow the escape of air through said signal.

7. The combination with a structure having a door-opening and a door adaptedto close said opening, of an air storage-chamber, an ,auxiliary air-chamber, an air-pipe between said chambers, a reduction-valve in said storage-chamber to said auxiliary-chamber when the air in the latter reaches a predetermined pressure, means to entirely shut off communication between said chambers, a second pipe leading from said auxiliary airchamber, an air-signal secured to said pipe, and means governmg the passage of air to said signal. 1

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW H. LONG.

Witnesses: ALE T. STRICKLAND, 

